“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
My Christadelphian to Orthodox Christianity Journey: A 50-Year Unlearning
For five decades, I lived as a Christadelphian, born into that faith and baptised at 17. At 48, I started a journey from Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity, leaving as a 50-year-old and now at 56, I’m embracing Trinitarian theology while pursuing theological studies. Trust me when I say that 50 years of deeply held beliefs isn’t something you release easily.
This page documents my theological transition – not as someone who has it all sorted, but as someone walking faithfully through doctrinal questions with intellectual honesty and dependence on God. Nearly 50 years of learning to unlearn – that’s what moving from Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity feels like. My ‘programmed’ responses are often still Christadelphian in nature, which makes understanding grace both more difficult and more precious.
If you’re wrestling with similar theological transition questions – whether coming from Christadelphian background or any other tradition – I hope this journey encourages you that it’s possible to grow in understanding while maintaining authentic faith.
My first steps on this journey started with a retreat called Walking with God, based on John Eldridge’s Wild at Heart. Arriving home, at the end of 2017, I started writing a book (introduction here) to document my new insights. It’s called A Kingdom Heart. I would say that it was foundational to my journey.
The Trinity: Weighing Unitarian vs Trinitarian Theology
The most fundamental shift in my Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity journey has been embracing the Trinity after decades of Unitarian thinking. Rather than simply rejecting my former beliefs, I wanted to carefully examine both positions to understand why orthodox Christianity holds to Trinitarian doctrine.
Fair Assessment of Both Positions:
- Arguments Supporting Unitarianism – Presenting the strongest case for Unitarian theology
- Arguments Supporting the Doctrine of the Trinity – Examining the biblical evidence for Trinitarian theology
- The Doctrine of the Trinity is not Pagan in Origin – Addressing common Unitarian objections about pagan influences
- Monotheism and Modalism – How Trinitarian theology maintains biblical monotheism
- Conclusions on the Trinity Review – Why I ultimately found Trinitarian theology more compelling
Understanding Salvation: From Performance to Grace
Perhaps the most personally liberating aspect of my theological transition from Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity has been understanding justification and sanctification. After decades of covenant-maintenance anxiety, discovering the permanence of forgiveness through Christ’s finished work transformed my daily relationship with God. To see all of the articles I have written on this subject and other Salvation questions I have worked through, click here.
Key Articles:
- How do we Obtain Forgiveness? – The difference between positional and relational forgiveness (it’s not what you think!)
- Living in the Shadow of God – Understanding eternal security rather than conditional salvation
- God Lives in Our Hearts – What it means to be permanently accepted in Christ
The transformation: I moved from asking “How do I maintain my forgiveness?” to understanding “How do I experience the forgiveness I already have?” The anxiety of performance-based religion gave way to the security of grace-based relationship.
Christ’s Nature: Understanding Incarnation vs God Manifestation
One of the most challenging aspects of my theological transition was working through different understandings of Christ’s nature. Coming from a Christadelphian background where “God Manifestation” doctrine was central, I needed to carefully examine both this view and orthodox incarnational theology to understand which better reflected biblical teaching.
Key Articles:
- God Manifestation in a Unitarian Framework – Explaining this important Christadelphian doctrine
- From God Manifestation to the Incarnation – Comparing both positions and why I found incarnational theology more compelling
- Why ‘God-Man’ Isn’t Blasphemous – Understanding orthodox terminology that can sound jarring to Unitarian ears
The conclusion: After examining both positions carefully, I found that recognising Jesus as the God-man rather than a perfect human who manifested God’s character provides a more biblically grounded understanding. This affects everything – salvation becomes divine accomplishment rather than human imitation, and prayer becomes approach to God incarnate rather than appeal through human mediator.
Church, Community, and Spiritual Life in Theological Transition
My journey from Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity included a period of disillusionment with organised religion entirely. I’ve since found my way back to healthy church community while maintaining discernment about authentic vs. empty religious practice.
Key Articles:
- When Ritual Overtakes Worship – Wrestling with authentic faith vs. empty religion (updated to reflect my evolved views)
- Does Love Surpass Doctrine? – Balancing theological precision with Christian unity
- We Love Jesus But Can We Love His Body? – Learning to love the church despite its flaws
Spiritual Gifts Journey:
I’ve also moved from cessationist to embracing present-day spiritual gifts – to my great surprise, the Holy Spirit has led me to speaking in tongues. This wasn’t something I sought or expected, but it’s become part of my spiritual development alongside theological study.
Wrestling with Ongoing Questions in Theological Transition
My Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity journey isn’t a neat, linear process. I’m still working through implications and questions, and I’m honest about areas where my thinking continues to develop.
My foundational thinking is contained here.
Current Wrestling:
- Eschatology – My views on end times remain largely undefined as I work through the implications of my changed Christology
- Denominational Questions – I fellowship with Baptists but remain open to how God leads regarding formal denominational commitments
- Historical Theology – I want to do PhD research into Socinian origins of modern Unitarianism and I have started on that journey. It continues to shape my understanding
Articles Reflecting This Process:
- The Bitter Pain of “Unanswered” Prayer – Wrestling with God’s timing and plans during transition
- Extravagant Love – Finding God’s grace in the midst of theological and personal struggles
- Does it Matter What You Believe? – How grace and growing knowledge matter more than perfect doctrine
- Philosophy and Christian Thought – How philosophical study informs theological transition
- Deontology, Utilitarianism and Virtue Ethical Theories – How ethics works in a theological context
Academic Study Supporting Theological Transition
Currently pursuing my Masters of Divinity at Brisbane School of Theology with an occasional sojourn at other colleges such as QTC, I’m discovering that formal theological education both challenges and confirms the personal journey I’ve been on. Academic rigour helps refine intuitions developed through personal study and spiritual experience during my Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity transition.
Academic Reflections:
- Cur Deus Homo – Wrestling with why God became human
- Central Message of Job – Academic analysis supporting personal faith development
The integration: Academic theology and personal spiritual journey reinforce each other. Formal study provides language and frameworks for experiences I’ve lived through, while personal journey keeps academic work grounded in real faith questions.
For Those on Similar Theological Transition Journeys
If you’re coming from Christadelphian background – or any tradition – and wrestling with theological transition questions, here’s what I’ve learned:
It’s okay to question. Genuine faith can withstand honest examination. God isn’t threatened by our theological development.
Theological transition takes time. Don’t expect to resolve 50 years of thinking overnight. I’m still discovering implications of changes I made years ago.
Community matters. I tried to maintain faith outside organised religion for 18 months. It’s possible but difficult. Healthy spiritual community aids growth.
Grace covers the process. God doesn’t expect perfect theology before accepting us. He works with us where we are while leading us toward truth.
Academic study helps. Formal theological education provides tools and language for questions you’re already asking.
Where This Theological Transition Continues
My journey from Christadelphian to orthodox Christianity isn’t finished. I’m preparing for potential PhD studies focusing on Socinian origins of modern Unitarianism, which will undoubtedly continue shaping my understanding. I’m also considering ministry opportunities in Southeast Asia, which will test and refine everything I’m learning.
But the core transformation is solid: from Unitarian to Trinitarian, from performance-based to grace-based, from human effort to divine accomplishment. Everything else builds on that foundation.
If this theological transition journey resonates with your own questions and struggles, I’d encourage you to explore the articles linked above. They represent honest wrestling with difficult questions rather than neat answers, but that’s what genuine theological development looks like.
Connect: Feel free to reach out through Facebook or the contact page if you’re on a similar journey. While I certainly don’t have all the answers, I’m happy to share what I’ve learned and listen to your own experiences.
“As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” – 1 John 2:24 (ESV)